Some Thoughts on the Gnostic Mass from the Acolyte's View...

First published in The Scales, Vol. I. Nos. 3 & 4A
publication of Serpent In Balance Camp, O.T.O.,
Orlando, FL

My intention when I sat down to write this initially
was to clear up an area of my own confusion concerning the Mass, that of
the role of the children, or acolytes. My first draft received some constructive
criticism, which I asked for and appreciated. After a few days, I realized
that I had also learned something else about the role of the acolytes.
When I wrote the first draft of this article, it was from the standpoint
that people didnít seem to think much about the children in the Mass. Cool,
people to give me my cakes and wine! Well, yes, they do that, but I knew
there was much more to it than that since I had participated in that capacity
so many times. What I learned was that people DO pay significant attention
to the acolytes: itís just that the physical nature of their silent role
creates a subconscious awareness of them rather than a conscious one, in
my opinion.

The whole concept of the children is often very
confusing to people who have never done it before: this usually means they
have had very little exposure to the Mass, in general. The entire Mass
in and of itself can be confusing: itís packed with so much imagery and
symbolism that it can be a little overwhelming. I had only seen one Mass
when I started playing the negative acolyte about two years ago when I
and my roommates began doing the Mass at home, but I had read it a few
times and I sat in on their discussions. I knew enough to know I wanted
to get a little more involved in the process. There were just enough of
us to have a full Mass team and have a handful of congregants. Let me tell
you, living rooms make for cramped and hot temples!! Being that I lived
with the couple who were our Priest and Priestess, I sort of got roped
into it. "Hey, Nephthys, you'll be our negative child, RIGHT!" (wink, wink)
Yeah sure, okay, whatever. Having had only limited exposure to the O.T.O.
and the E.G.C., I was sort of trepidatious since I wasn't really sure what
I was getting myself into. They assured me all I had to do was follow people,
hold stuff, and feel negative. Great, no problem. At that point in my life,
feeling negative was not a problem.

So, what had I gotten myself into? Not much, it
appeared at first. They were right: I followed people, held stuff, and
felt negative. In retrospect, I wish I had understood a little better just
what I was supposed to be doing. I don't think my energy was detrimental
to the Mass by any means, but I think I might have enjoyed it more if I
had done a little more research into just what the children were supposed
to represent. It seemed obvious on the surface: one negative child to represent
negative energy, and one positive child to represent positive energy. However,
the more I participated in the Mass in that negative fashion, the less
I enjoyed the Mass. It was not until my brothers moved away and I was forced
to come out of my shell and attend Mass at Scarlet Woman that I gained
a deeper understanding of what the children mean to the Gnostic Mass.

I was the positive child in a Mass that marked
virtually the first time I had ever shown my face by myself at the Oasis.
Sometimes I wonder if the gods weren't tweaking the strings of fate the
day our Oasis Mistress came into my place of employment and invited me
to the Mass that evening. The thought had never really crossed my mind,
still being very Hermit-like, but I was very honored that I'd been invited,
so I hopped on the bus after work and headed up to the Bodhi. I was pretty
early, but if I hadn't been, I couldn't have volunteered to replace the
positive child that had to cancel that evening, which I did with mouse-like
meekness. I then received my first formal lesson in energy work from the
soror playing the negative child. As she described how the energy of the
Mass flows around the room and amongst the congregants and officers, the
meaning of what the children represented in the Mass took on completely
new meaning, and I have been contemplating their role ever since.

What I've come up with is a combination of that
first lesson I got and my own experience in participating in the Mass.
From the learning point of view, there is no better vantage point to see
the Mass from than that of the acolytesí. You can see everything, something
that can only be done if you've got a really good seat in the congregation.
None of the other officers can see the entire temple while Mass is in progress,
exception being the Deacon while there's no congregant or Priest at the
altar. From the experiential point of view, there is no better vantage
point to experience the wide variations in energy that can occur during
a Mass: the ceremony means different things to everyone, and being right
there at the altar while they communicate gives a completely unique perspective
on how the Mass energy affects different people. It's not only that you
get to see people's expressions when they're communicating. It's also that
the children are an integral yet passive part of the energy network that
exists in the temple during Mass.

What I had originally been told about being an
acolyte was essentially correct. It is necessary to feel negative. But
not BAD-negative. Nor should the positive child try to feel GOOD-positive.
It's the kind of negative/positive balance that exists in chemistry or
physics between molecules and atoms. Negative ions draw energy towards
them, positive ions emit energy. That's not exactly scientifically correct,
but it describes the process fairly well. In my opinion, the basic purpose
of the negative child is to draw energy from the congregation, send it
to the positive child, and the positive child then sends that energy back
out to the congregation.

On a more specific level, the path of energy in
the temple flows from Priest, to congregation, to negative child, to positive
child, to congregation, and back to the Priest. So when someone is standing
on the altar communicating, they are standing right in the middle of an
energy path. The energy also flows up and down the temple, from Priest
to Deacon to Priestess, and back again. Providing, of course, that your
Mass temple is set up in the proper directions. If itís not, I think there
still is significant energy flow amongst all participants, but since itís
not in harmony with the natural energy flow of the Universe, itís perhaps
not as powerful. But thatís just my opinion.

So once again, our communicant is standing in
yet another energy path. In fact, they are standing at the intersection
of two paths of energy, upon which energy can flow in any direction, and
what direction it goes is in the control of whoever is communicating. The
position of the five officers of the Mass create this energy vortex on
the dais before the Priestess, and between the two children. Round and
round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows! This vortex also
corresponds to the paths of Daleth and Gimel on the Tree of Life, which
is, of course, the template upon which the temple is set up, again providing
that Temple East is in Real East. If I were a better Qabalist, I would
delve into that a bit more. Maybe next time.

I also discovered what I consider to be an astrological
correlation to the Mass. There is a planetary configuration used in esoteric
astrology called a yod, or the finger of god. It consists of an opposition,
two semi-sextiles, a sextile, and two quincunxes. In plain English, these
aspects create an energy flow amongst the four points involved that directs
transformational force. Mystically, that transformational force can be
harnessed in the Mass by utilizing the natural energy flow provided by
the acolytes, Priest, and Priestess who represent the four points of the
yod configuration. In this little model that Iíve created, your energy
is taken by the negative child and transformed into something that can
be sent to the positive child, who then can turn it into something serviceable.
This energy is then sent to the Priest, who utilizes it until itís Ďdead.í
This Ďdeadí energy is then shot straight up to the Priestess, who imbues
it with life once again, and sends it back to you. If you trace this path
with your finger, you see that a cross is made on the communicant with
their own energy. This is not something that necessarily naturally occurs
when the Mass is being performed. I think it could be used as a personal
tool for transforming what one considers Ďnegativeí energy into something
that can be utilized. When present in the natal chart, the yod represents
an area of life that MUST be paid attention to or imbalance and confusion
occurs. I think the yod present in the shape of the Mass temple draws attention
to oneís True Will, which I know causes imbalance and confusion when not
followed in my own person. When communicating, one could use that opportunity
to Ďpurifyí their will, transform it in such a way that energy that isnít
in accordance with oneís True Will is re-integrated.

The point is that the positioning of the acolytes
not arbitrary. They are where they are for a reason and I think they are
vital to the general atmosphere of the Mass, unless space or size of membership
prohibits using them. I've been to very small Masses that had no children,
and they are just as wonderful as the huge Masses I've attended with the
full complement of officers, so this is certainly not meant to be a slam
on those that do not use children. I offer these thoughts on the children
so that other Mass teams as well as congregants can harness the full energy
potential of the Gnostic Mass and reap the subsequent benefits. Mass is
certainly the best soul food I've ever had.